Alan Jackson's new CD?

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

Just bought "Like red on a Rose". I will say before you buy it listen to some of the tracks if you can. Quite frankly it is disappointing. No fiddle and no pedal steel at all. I don't know what you would call it but it ain't country. And it ain't very good. Very slow moving and depressing. No uptempo songs.... Ahhh screw it! nobody cares. I guess that whole "Murder on Music Row" thing was just a crock of sh... you know what.... Maybe when it doesn't sell well somebody will get the hint.

Per Kammersgaard · From: Sonderborg, Denmark

I had the impression, that this would be a bluegrass/acoustic country album, with Allison Krauss producing. It isn't and I'm as disapointed now as when I got his second Christmas album. Don't know what he is trying to prove...

PK

Rick Johnson · From: Wheelwright, Ky USA

I like Alan Jackson but I expected
it be like all other albums.
I listened to it, it might grow
on me but as of right now I don't
know when I'll listen to it again.

Rick
www.rickjohnsoncabs.com

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

Definitely not the usual suspects on the credits list...

Producer Ron Block Guitar Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Sam Bush Harmony Vocals
Terry Christian String Engineer
Jim Cox Organ (Hammond), Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer
Sidney Cox Harmony Vocals
Suzanne Cox Harmony Vocals
Dave Denman Harmony Vocals
Jerry Douglas Dobro, Lap Steel Guitar
Jami Fugate Production Assistant
Carl Gorodetzky Conductor
S. Wade Hunt Cover Design
Scott Johnson Production Assistant
Alison Krauss Strings, Harmony Vocals
Viktor Krauss Bass (Electric), Bass (Acoustic)
Greg Lawrence Assistant
Howard Levy Harmonica
Michael McDonald Clavinet, Fender Rhodes
Joey Miskulin Accordion
Nashville String Machine Strings
Michael Omartian Arranger, Conductor
Gary Paczosa Engineer, Mixing
Kim Perrett Wardrobe
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Drums
Randee Saint Nicholas Photography
Doug Sax Mastering
Mellissa Schleicher Groomer
Richard Sterban Harmony Vocals
Dan Tyminski Harmony Vocals
Kenny Vaughan Guitar (Electric)
Cheryl White Harmony Vocals
Lee Ann Womack Harmony Vocals

Mark Eaton · Posted 29 Sep 2006 8:00 am

"I love you like all children love pennies" has to be the most hammered line from a song by critics this year, from the title cut written by Robert Lee Castleman. I have to agree-it doesn't jive with the rest of the song.

I bought the album the other day, and unlike a lot of you here, though I have always liked Alan, and am familiar with a lot of his singles, I haven't followed his career all that closely and and have only a couple of his CD's. This is definitely not a fits-the-formula Jackson album. Haven't listened to it that much yet, but so far I like it. One reviewer likened it to being a Don Williams-like record of mellow tunes.

I was kind've surprised that there are no pedals on the thing-but since I'm one of the more hard core Jerry Douglas fans on the Forum, I'm enjoying his lap steel playing on it with a little bit of dobro thrown in.

By the way-the CD was produced by Alison Krauss-not Ron Block. Apparently it originally was going to be all acoustic, with bluegrass instruments-but something changed along the way.

Alan has obviously proven that he is one of the modern masters of singing uptempo country with pedal steel and fiddles, many times over, so I applaud him for going out on a limb and trying something different.

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 29 September 2006 at 09:32 AM.]

Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

All I've heard is the single, it's boring.

Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

Mark Eaton · Posted 29 Sep 2006 10:24 am

The previous album was the gospel CD "Precious Memories." A great album, IMO. The only thing wrong with it was that there was no steel, of any kind.

Ron-your signature is HagFan: Did you buy Hag's CD of the old standards?

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Mark

Charles Curtis · Posted 29 Sep 2006 10:32 am

Fortunately here at Borders Books, you can listen to some of each song. I've always been an Alan Jackson fan, but I was looking for some of Paul Franklin's work, but nada pero nada. I've seen this CD advertised on TV, so it will be interesting; no I didn't buy it.

Neil Owens · From: ** R.I.P. **

You can preview the whole cd at cmt.com.
I like some but not all the songs. Regards Neil.

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

Theresa, I think you summed up the entire CD. BORING!!!!!!! I do like the song Leon Russell wrote "Bluebird"

Terry VunCannon · From: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

No steel??? Come on guys...Jerry Douglas's playing on "Like Red On A Rose" is beautiful...sounds like he's trying to do something different from the norm on this CD.

[This message was edited by Terry VunCannon on 29 September 2006 at 04:21 PM.]

Mark Eaton · Posted 29 Sep 2006 3:26 pm

Terry-I think there are a few members that rarely ever venture over to the No Peddlers section of the Forum...

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 29 September 2006 at 04:28 PM.]

Terry VunCannon · From: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

I have often wondered if PSG players liked or respected lap steel...as a lap player I love all kinds of slide playing, I am getting the feeling that PSG players do not. Heck, I get the feeling that the same ones would be complaining if AJ had RR as guest on this CD...there would be PSG, but not the "Right" kind.

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

I haven't heard it but I've talked to several folks who love it after having initially disliked it, in a couple of cases having really disliked it. The impression I'm getting is that you have to kinda forget it's an Alan Jackson album to enjoy it. I'll be interested in hearing it. I've liked Allsion Krauss' production in the past.

[This message was edited by Chris Bauer on 29 September 2006 at 06:53 PM.]

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

I don't think anybody dislikes dobro or lap steel on here. I like it as much as the next guy. But in my opinion, this album blows. It is not country, which is what I for one, have come to expect from AJ. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. The CD is being packaged and sold as country and it is not. It is an exercise in napping. If he wants to do a Chris Gaines impersonation let him dress up like a weirdo like Garth did and call it the new AJ adult contemporary slop. This way I'll know not to waste my money. And don't anybody think that because Alison Krauss produced it that it is Bluegrass. Cause it is not Bluegrass either. If this is the new direction for country music, the suits in Nashville don't need to worry about selling many records. And dare I say it, I just may become a Kenny Chesney fan yet.

Mark Eaton · Posted 29 Sep 2006 11:20 pm

Geez Brett, the guy just wanted to try something different.

Obviously it's OK not to like the album. But I don't think anybody was sitting around in Nashville going "Let's see how the public reacts to us steering the ship with this NEW direction in country music!"

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Mark

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I haven't heard the new album, but don't forget Alan has made mistakes before.

Remember his Christmas album? I was so looking forward to it. A Country Christmas Album with Lloyd Green on Steel! But somewhere along the line they decided to make it a "Pop Album". The steel was burried deep in the mix, and we ended up with "Elevator Music". Yuk, imo!

Thank for the warning on this one. I usually buy every AJ album as they are released, expecting great Steel, and future hits that I'd better start learning.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Actually, A CD is made and produced with the INTENT to sell as many as possible...

AJ's consistent formula over the past decade has sold 70 million CD's. thats a benchmark reference. He has an audience.

There is nothing wrong with making a change or adding a new dimenesion, but historically you do it slowly, maybe add it to a CD project where your reference is intact.

What I hate about this scenario is simple, the RADIO stations are playing AJ's new songs regardless. Problem this time is , and AJ if you are reading don't take this as personal, I am turning the dial when the new songs come on.

they ain't workin' for me either.

When a fan runs out and buys a new release CD they are expecting to like it, if they don't, now the risk factor is way up on the next CD. They may not just run out and buy it. It can become a slippery and fast slope in the wrong direction.

Aj is a fine singer and a fine writer, but his CD's are great becasue they folks playing on the tracks with Blazing Tele and Steel solo's is what brings it home. Brent and Paul are part of AJ's continued success.

Can you all imagine going to the next AJ concert and it is now based on his new CD ?

Karen Carpenter did an album produced by Phil Ramone, it took her in a new direction which didn't work.

changing directions or moving from your formula of success has been done before.

very few can pull it off.
t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 30 September 2006 at 04:43 AM.]

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

Trying something new is fine. Like let Redd V. play lead or change over and let Mike Johnson play steel. Changing genres upsets fans. He was the guy that sang the song that had the line "someone killed country music" well, he's holding the OJ knife right now. Some will say "Its just one album, let's see what the next holds". Hopefully it will hold some country. The best thing I can tell you is that the current single has peaked at #18 after 10 weeks on the charts and is headed back the other way. Maybe the fans have spoken! There isn't a stronger single to release to radio on the whole CD. My guess would be look for the next Keith Stegall produced country AJ CD somewhere in the spring.

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

Oh and Mark I respectfully disagree with you sir. I believe they do sit around in Nashville thinking let's see how the public likes the new direction. Their goal is to dilute and cheapen my country music to the point where it offends noone, inspires no thinking and is merely palatable to the lowest common denominator. Kinda like politics. The payback is that with the internet I can get all the good music I can buy, alot of times direct from the artist where the only one getting paid is the artist. The record companies will soon get their just due, bankruptcy! We are almost to the point where we don't need them now. And that's what they get for the decades of dirty pool, lousy music and complete gang raping of legitimate artists.

Mark Eaton · Posted 30 Sep 2006 1:33 pm

And I respectfully disagree with you, Brett. We know that it's all about money with the big labels. To allow Alan to cut an album without sticking to the formula that has made him so successful has in our little world of steel guitarists and fans thereof, demonstrated through this thread on this forum that it was in a financial sense, a bad idea.

If he stuck with the formula-an uptempo single with clever lyrics, pedal steel, fiddle, and maybe some, good twangy Tele licks, along with a few ballads, and a couple of tunes that work with the two step in a bar situation-this would be a completely different thread.

Hey-it's not like I'm a
"change-for-the-sake-of-change" kind of guy. I'll give you an example based on one of my all time favorites, Ry Cooder. I have been a Ry fan since day one, when he came out with his first album back in the early 70's, and I was in high school. Along with being a virtuoso musician, Cooder has been a great interpreter of songs, be it instrumental or with vocals. I love his versions of "Dark End Of The Street," "Little Sister," "Money Honey," "Speedo," "Go On Home Girl," and all those other great tunes that are so much fun to sing along with when I'm driving and playing his stuff on the car CD player.

When he came out with "Chavez Ravine" last year, critics hailed it as one of the finest efforts of his career. As a work of musical art, I have to agree. It is an ambitious project, full of artistic merit. But I hardly ever listen to it, because it doesn't follow the formula that brought him a fair amount of success for 20 plus years. In an interview after the album came out, he said something to the effect that he wasn't going to make any more albums like "Paradise & Lunch" or "Chicken Skin Music" full of catchy four minute pop/rock songs. Been there/done that. But I have to admit I was disappointed-the old Ry Cooder would have been my preference.

If anything, I have to believe that the Nashville money guys would have tried to talk Alan Jackson OUT of making the kind of album he just did. It goes way against the formula that has sold ballpark, 70 million records in the past. Why mess with success? Alan is big enough and has enough clout that he could get the thing made (he gives some of the reasons on his updated website why he made this album).

If you saw the Ray Charles movie, you may remember the scene where the record label executives were trying to talk him out of making his country album, that went on to be a big seller and yielded some classics, like his version of "You Don't Know Me." It went against the grain of the image of what Ray Charles was supposedly all about, in a musical sense. The executives thought it would flop.

Another example of going against the grain is Martina McBride's ultra successful album, "Timeless." To do a classic style album of traditional country is not in the realm of of the Montgomery Gentry school of thinking that is so pervasive in Nashville these days. I read that Sony would not put up the money to get the record made, Martina had to dig into her pockets, and in spite of corporate lack of cooperation, it was a success.

If anything happened-I have to believe that some of those Nashville "suits" were rolling their eyes, frowning, and shaking their heads, when listening to some of the tracks from "Like Red On A Rose." I can't imagine that they actually ENCOURAGED Alan to make this record.

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 30 September 2006 at 02:53 PM.]

Craig Stock · From: Westfield, NJ USA

I don't know guys, I am listening to Van Morrison's latest country Cd and I think it's pretty good, maybe he shouldn't have gone country.

I took my son to go see Bernard Purdie last night and got to talk with him for a while, he talked drums with my son. I noticed he played drums on the newest AJ album, I think it would be worth buying for just that, also agree about Jerry Douglas, saw him this summer opening for PAUL SIMON and IMO he blew him away.

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Regards, Craig

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Martina's Timeless may have been against the grain according to a Bean Counter but was NOT against the grain for a record buying community that was just yearning for a CD of classics rather than NEW direction Country.

I don't think the Martina analogy works for this thread. quite the contrary, it is a REF point that should be at least viewed by those that follow. She stayed well within her own domain, and maintained all the elements.

t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 01 October 2006 at 04:34 AM.]

Charles French · From: Ms.

Myself, I don't listen to Alan. Just don't hear anything that is so unique in his voice. Altho, I will say he sounds better than most of the stuff coming out of nashville. Probably the biggest reason he has so many fans here is largely due to P.F playing on his recordings.

He's not a virtuoso on any instrument that I know of. I don't think he's got a book of really great songs he has written. He's just another front man with a cowboy hat and a cute smile. He's definately not Ray Charles. When Ray took his departure into country he brought something to the table. Ray shook up the whole world, proving that anything he laid his hands and voice to was undeniably the work of a genius.

To me Alan is just another guy doing sometimes some good cover songs that are mostly supported by an allstar cast. Certainly not someone that I would lose any sleep over tolling about wheather he took his cover tunes in the wrong direction.

[This message was edited by Charles French on 01 October 2006 at 06:24 AM.]

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